Spotted: Tidal energy is a source of renewable power in which energy is harnessed from either the natural rise and fall of ocean tides or the movement of tidal or ocean currents. Although not yet widely used, tidal energy has a huge potential for future electricity generation. Unlike wind and solar energy, tidal streams and ocean currents are predictable and continuous. First-generation tidal technologies tend to require strong tidal flows in order to be commercially viable. However, a new approach could greatly expand the energy potential of tidal flows.
Startup Minesto has developed a ‘kite’ with a turbine that ‘flies’ underwater to generate electricity from predictable tidal streams and ocean currents. The device is attached to a tether and uses the hydrodynamic lift force created by the underwater current to move. An onboard control system autonomously steers the kite in a figure-of-eight trajectory. This motion pulls the turbine through the water at a water flow several times higher than the actual stream speed – and this faster speed generates more power.
The tether contains cables for communication and power and is connected to the seabed foundation by a connector that can be easily latched and unlatched for installation and recovery. Electricity generated is sent to the grid using a power cable within the tether.
Minesto claims that its use of a wing design and its underwater ‘flight’ makes this technology more efficient than other tidal energy technologies. On its website, the company explains that, “This means that when the kite multiplies the relative speed which the turbine is pushed through the water, the electricity produced by the generator is several times greater compared to if the turbine would be stationary. By adding this step of energy conversion, Minesto expands the global tidal and ocean currents’ extractable potential.”
Other recent renewable energy innovations that harness the flow of water include a floating platform that harvests energy from rivers and a new design that could allow wave energy to be harvested from the open ocean.
The winners of this year’s A+Product Awards have been announced. Stay tuned for the year’s edition of the A+Product Awards ebook in the coming months.
Boundaries are intended to be pushed in the realm of design, and the incomparable creative synergy between fashion and architecture has proven to be an irresistible force. Over the years, this fusion of disciplines has given rise to many breathtaking collaborations that challenge the status quo as designers and architects join forces to create spaces that are as inspiring as they are functional.
Delving into the art of this creative alchemy, this article explores some of the most iconic partnerships in the world of design, each of which has birthed a masterpiece that is both an ode to their respective fields and a testament to the power of collaboration.
REM Koolhaus, OMA x Prada
Prada Los Angeles Epicenter by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, Los Angeles, CA Photograph provided by OMA
While some collaborations are one-offs, undoubtedly adding to their allure, others become long-term relationships. Many deeper partnerships between fashion designers and architects are born of a mutually explored aesthetic or shared understanding of values and goals. In the case of Prada and OMA, their ongoing saga is indeed one for the ages.
Rem Koolhaas, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect and founder of the multi-disciplinary firm the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), has long been known for his innovation and daring vision. When he joined forces with Miuccia Prada, the matriarch of the eponymous Italian fashion house, the result was a series of architectural marvels, such as Seoul’s Transformer project and the Prada Epicenter in New York.
Prada Los Angeles Epicenter, by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, Los Angeles, CA Photograph by OMA
This collaboration extended beyond bricks and mortar, as OMA and the AMO think tank began to redefine the very nature of the catwalk at Prada’s shows. The convergence of Koolhaas’s avant-garde design sensibilities and Prada’s penchant for bold self-expression has given rise to spaces and experiences that are as breathtaking as they are groundbreaking.
Lina Ghotmeh x Hermès
Like the early days of Prada and Koolhaas, the collaboration between French luxury goods manufacturer Hermès and Franco-Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh appears to be the beginning of a harmonious and hopefully long-established relationship. Having worked together previously to create stunning window displays for the brand, Ghotmeh has now been appointed for Hermès’ latest and largest architectural project to date.
Precise Acts – Hermès Workshops, France by Lina Ghotmeh Architecture. Render courtesy of Lina Ghotmeh Architecture.
Exemplifying the poetic marriage of craftsmanship and design that exists between the two design companies, Ghotmeh’s studio, Lina Ghotmeh Architecture, was chosen to design the new Hermès Leather Workshops, resulting in what looks to be a stunning space that seamlessly blends with the surrounding landscape while respecting the surrounding environment.
The all-brick construction, punctuated by large bay windows, bathes the space in natural light and evokes the precision and craftsmanship that have become synonymous with the Hermès brand. This poetic merging of form, function and broader ecological impact demonstrates the overlapping priorities across both industries.
Samuel Ross, SR_A x Acqua di Parma
Many collaborations between fashion designers and architects are grounded in retail design. Samuel Ross, founder of the streetwear label A-Cold-Wall* and design studio SR_A, has harnessed alternative skills to create new designs for the instantly recognizable Acqua di Parma bottles. While not technically an architect, Samuel is a creative polymath whose portfolio of work is deeply rooted in the semiotics and aesthetics of architecture.
His collaboration with the century-old Italian perfume house resulted in a reimagining of their iconic Colonia bottle. Drawing inspiration from the architecture of Milan and London, Ross’s designs featured a scaffolding-like window frame, a nod to the two cities’ post-WWII architectural dialogue. The result is a captivating reinterpretation that has bridged history and modernity in a way that celebrates both equally.
Marco Costanzi Architects x Fendi
Fendi HQ by Marco Costanzi Architects, Rome, Italy Photograph by Andrea Jemolo
While retail design is often the catalyst for cross-discipline collaboration in recent years, there has been a marked increase in fashion brands entering the realm of hospitality design — notably Fendi. The Italian luxury fashion house found an architectural soulmate in Marco Costanzi Architects when they embarked on a journey to reimagine their flagship store in Rome.
Fendi HQ by Marco Costanzi Architects, Rome, Italy Photograph by Andrea Jemolo
Located in the historic Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, the store’s interior design is an ode to Fendi’s rich heritage while showcasing the forward-thinking ethos of Marco Costanzi Architects. The result is a sumptuous blend of materials, textures, and colors that pay tribute to both the brand’s history and the building’s architectural significance.
Above the store sits the Fendi Private Suites. Each suite is a celebration of the classic Fendi aesthetic – rich, neutral colors, crisp lines and hardwood floors. Walls are paneled in grey, polished wood and inset with Karl Lagerfeld’s black and white photos of Rome’s fountains, an ideal backdrop that brings out the subtle playfulness of custom Fendi Casa furniture. The building, store and suites are a haven for design and architecture enthusiasts.
Issey Miyake x David Chipperfield x Toshiko Mori x Frank Gehry and more
Reality Lab. Issey Miyake by TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA DESIGN, Tokyo, Japan Photograph by Masaya Yoshimura
Of the many fashion designers who have impacted architecture and interior design, the late Issey Miyake was the pinnacle. He was often referred to as a center of contemporary design culture and found a way to combine space and showcase into one unified experience by using his showrooms to further present his design thinking to the world. The iconic mastermind worked with a broad cross-section of architects to create unique, captivating environments. Over the years, their showrooms became a textbook example of retail design becoming an extension of a fashion brand’s vision and identity.
Issey Miyake Marunouchi by TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA DESIGN, Tokyo, Japan Photograph by Masaya Yoshimura
From as early as 1976 and his collaboration with a young Shiro Kuramata on the From First building in Aoyama, Japan, Miyake worked with many notable architects, providing younger or less experienced architects a global platform on which to showcase their talents.
David Chipperfield and Kenneth Armstrong designed his London showroom in 1985 with the architects using natural materials to evoke the spirit of Japanese architecture. Miyake then worked with Toshiko Mori on his first freestanding showroom at 77th Street and Madison Avenue in New York. Mori also designed a New York location for Pleats Please in 1998; another New York showroom for Miyake on 79th Street was finished in 2005.
Issey Miyake London by TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA DESIGN, London, UK Photograph by Masaya Yoshimura
Later, Miyake would enlist the skills of people like Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Ito Masaru Design Project and, of course, long-time friends Frank Gehry and Gordon Kipping. Together, they brought the iconic Issey Miyake Tribeca store to life. The store’s interior is a harmonious blend of Kipping’s urban sensibilities and Miyake’s signature folds, creating a space that is both a tribute to New York City’s architectural heritage and a glimpse into the future of design. With its dynamic, origami-inspired aesthetic, the store serves as a reminder of the potential unleashed when fashion and architecture intertwine.
With each collaboration, the importance of creative exploration and pushing boundaries is evident. By merging their respective disciplines, designers and architects can break new ground, challenge conventions, and redefine our understanding of design and style. The results of these partnerships are spaces that are not only functional but equally inspiring and transformative, demonstrating the limitless possibilities that arise from interdisciplinary collaboration.
The winners of this year’s A+Product Awards have been announced. Stay tuned for the year’s edition of the A+Product Awards ebook in the coming months.
New York architect David Rockwell has joined Dezeen Awards 2023 as a judge. Here, he selects five projects that best reflect his studio’s work.
Architect and designer Rockwell is the founder of US practice Rockwell Group. He aims for his work to “help facilitate storytelling, community-building and memory-making”.
“The core value I try to bring to all my work is empathy,” Rockwell told Dezeen.”I approach each decision from the perspective of those who will inhabit the spaces.”
Projects spanning “theatre, hospitality and the public realm”
“Working in the theatre has been an incredible training ground for strengthening my own capacity for empathy,” said Rockwell.
“Our work falls into three main categories: theatre, hospitality and the public realm,” he continued. “Rockwell Group has been fortunate to work across a diverse range of project types, from restaurants, hotels, schools and offices to museum installations, Broadway sets and theatres.”
The New York-based office is currently working alongside architectural firms Ennead Architects and SmithGroup to convert a museum at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC into an academic building for Johns Hopkins University,.
Rockwell Group is also designing several restaurants in New York City, including collaborations with Ethiopian-born Swedish-American chef Marcus Samuelsson and French restauranteur Daniel Boulud, as well as an outpost for the international Taiwanese restaurant group Din Tai Fung.
Rockwell among Dezeen Awards 2023 judges
Dezeen Awards 2023 launched last month in partnership with Bentley Motors. On Tuesday we announced five more Dezeen Awards judges, including interior designers Kelly Behun and Martin Brudnizki and architects Lara Lesmes, Jayden Ali and Rooshad Shroff.
Submit your entry before the standard entry deadline on Thursday 1 June. Click here for more entry information.
Read on to find Rockwell’s views on the five projects that best represent the work of his studio.
Nobu Hotel in Barcelona, Spain
Nobu
“Our work with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa started 29 years ago when we designed his now iconic restaurant in Tribeca.
“Chef Nobu’s innovative cooking, as well as his origins in the Japanese countryside, inspired an irresistible narrative we got to weave into our design.
“All these years later, we are still reinventing Nobu – as both a restaurant and hotel brand – in cities worldwide. It is, without question, one of the most significant collaborations of my career. “
DineOut NYC, New York City, USA
“We conceived our pro-bono project DineOut NYC at the height of the pandemic. Covid-19 had completely devastated our restaurant industry.
“In addition to providing over 300 thousand jobs for New Yorkers, I have always had a strong personal attachment to this sector.
“Designed in collaboration with the NYC Hospitality Alliance, DineOut is an adaptable, modular outdoor dining system. The project helped end our era of isolation by bringing people together again and getting restaurants back on their feet.
“Design is most meaningful to me when it fosters community and I feel like we made a real impact doing just that with DineOut NYC.”
Read more about DineOut NYC ›
Photo by Paul Warchol
Hayes Theater and Take Me Out, New York City, USA
“In 2018 we renovated the 100-year-old Hayes Theater, Broadway’s most intimate venue with only 600 seats.
“In addition to instilling the historic space with a modern, approachable design vocabulary, we also needed to accommodate the staggering technical demands of modern productions.
“Last year we had the chance to put our work to the test when we designed the sets for the revival of Take Me Out at the Hayes. Had the theatre been unable to meet our technical needs, I’d have had no one to blame but myself. Thankfully, I was a very satisfied customer.”
NeueHouse Madison Square, New York City, USA
“When it opened 10 years ago, NeueHouse Madison Square was a groundbreaking workspace collective that helped usher in a new typology in which art, life, culture, food, and work converge seamlessly.
“This kind of convergence has taken on profound new meaning in our late-stage pandemic era, in which people are craving bespoke, communal experiences.”
Read more about NeueHouse Madison Square ›
TED Theater
“Our portable TED Theater [for nonprofit foundation TED Talks] is approaching its 10th anniversary this year and it remains a great experiment in the power of ephemeral, shared experiences.
“The attention to detail recalls permanent works of architecture but its flexibility allows it to adapt and evolve as TED does.”
All images courtesy of Rockwell Group unless stated otherwise.
Dezeen Awards 2023
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.
Spotted: According to the UN, the Earth’s population will likely reach 8.5 billion by 2030. At the same time, climate change is going to make it more difficult to grow food, requiring a rapid and collaborative approach to the global food industry. For startup, The Live Green Company, the answer can be found in plants. The company has developed a way to use biotechnology and machine learning to replace animal, synthetic, and ultra-processed foods with precise plant-based alternatives.
Live Green’s platform, dubbed Charaka, uses machine learning to analyse data about thousands of plants and find appropriate plant substitutes for animal-based and artificial ingredients. Charaka’s algorithms analyse complex data about the phytochemical compounds, bioactive molecules, and nutritional profiles of various plants. The company claims that the platform can “uncover hidden and non-linear relationships and predict innovative functionalities and uses” of different ingredients to find a perfect plant-based substitute.
Developing these substitutes involves creating blends of natural plant ingredients like sunflower protein, banana, and flax meal without changing the taste, texture, or mouthfeel of the finished product. In addition, Live Green’s platform also identifies more sustainable local alternatives to vegetarian ingredients like avocado. From the idea stage to putting a new all-plant product on the shelf can take as little as 90 days.
Live Green has thus far piloted several product lines – including burger mixes, baking mixes, frozen burgers, ice-creams, and protein bars – that are plant-based and free of additives, allergens, gluten, cholesterol, and trans fats.
Other recent food and drink innovations spotted by Springwise include fungal fermentation for natural food colourings, protein and umami extracted from cabbages, and microbial protein for people with modified diets.
Design group TIM Architects, led by Felipe Aracama, constructs ‘Casa Pekin’ in Buenos Aires, a ‘floating’ residence made of concrete and glass. Following the studio’s characteristic design guidelines, the composition is defined by the purity of the facades, the absence of ornaments and moldings, the glazed expanses, and the well-formed spatial division of the interior according to the use of each zone. The rationalist imprint and attention to minimalism prevail in architecture while the classic modern movement holds a fundamental part of the design approach.
The residence arranges three main areas, with two bedrooms, the kitchen separated from the living-dining room, and the leitmotiv of the work, the social space. The common zone stands as the most significant space surrounded by glass openings and exposed concrete surfaces shielding the frame. ‘The rationalist traits of ‘Casa Pekin’s’ architecture derive from the modern movement accentuating the purity of the form, the geometry of its elements, and the use of materials such as concrete, wood, and glass’, shares Felipe Aracama of TIM Architects. Analyzing the front of the house two main plans are outlined, a blind one and a glazed one.
the project applies materials such as concrete, wood, and glass
internal arrangement separates common zones
Another important feature of the construction is the formation of the eaves. The proposed intention holds the structure floating above the ground while the slab on the ground floor seems to hover. The house seems lightweight, a sensation reinforced by details such as the absence of supports in the gallery. The eaves hang light casting an intricate shadow over the social space. The separation between the kitchen and the social space intends not to integrate two disparate functions, and to provide each of the spaces with the necessary comfort without interference.
the proposed intention holds the structure floating above the ground
the house seems lightweight through the absence of supports in the gallery
Blotchy slate tiles, playfully patterned murals and a single oversized circle form these eye-catching interior accent walls that we have collected for our latest lookbook.
An accent or feature wall is one that differs in colour, material or texture from the other walls that surround it. Accent walls can feature in both interior and exterior locations.
Architects and designers often use these statement walls to delineate different spaces in a room, or simply to create striking and joyful interior details.
From a New York apartment to a Helsinki teahouse, here are eight eclectic interiors defined by eye-catching accent walls.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring offbeat bakeries, inviting entrance halls and homes with split-level living areas.
Photo is by A Avdeenko
Heat 360, Ukraine, by Azovskiy & Pahomova Architects
This house in the Dnepropetrovsk region of Ukraine features a bedroom with a dark slate-tile wall defined by dramatic rust blotches.
Azovskiy & Pahomova Architects made the adjacent wall from floor-to-ceiling glazing that illuminates the room’s earthy-hued interiors.
Find out more about Heat 360 ›
Photo is by Prue Ruscoe
Polychrome House, Australia, by Amber Road and Lymesmith
An abstract mural packed with colourful geometric shapes covers one of the walls in the living space at Polychrome House in Sydney.
The bold interiors are enhanced by graphic paved floors and a mismatch of bright furniture in hues ranging from burnt orange to sea green.
Find out more about Polychrome House ›
Photo is by Dylan Chandler
New York apartment, USA, by Harry Nuriev and Tyler Billinger
Designer Harry Nuriev and partner Tyler Billinger – both of Crosby Studios – renovated their New York home with Nuriev’s “signature boldness”.
A white-tiled accent wall features in the otherwise colourful bedroom, which features a plush gold-lame headboard and ultraviolet elements including a hand-shaped bedside lamp.
Find out more about this New York apartment ›
Photo is by Aleksi Tikkala
Teemaa, Finland, by Yatofu
A combination of traditional flat bricks and grooved bricks comes together in the tasting room of Helsinki’s Teemaa teahouse to create an eclectic accent wall.
Design studio Yatofu aimed to reference the raw tactility of tea leaves when creating the interiors, which are also characterised by elements of oak and oxidised steel.
Find out more about Teemaa ›
Photo is by José Hevia
Casa A12, Spain, by Lucas y Hernández-Gil
The white floors and sheets in the bedroom suite at Casa A12 form a neutral backdrop for a large cobalt blue dot circle that creates a playful feature wall.
Local studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil added various other space-delineating accents to the Madrid apartment, including swathes of silvery curtains and corrugated metal partitions.
Find out more about Casa A12 ›
Photo is by Serhii Kadulin
Shkrub, Ukraine, by Sergey Makhno
Built by architect Sergey Makhno for him and his family, the Shkrub house includes a feature wall made up of rows of rounded ceramic tiles that resemble jumbo fish scales.
These were made from several types of clay finish that were usually mixed with flax seeds, rye and wheat in accordance with Ukrainian traditions.
Find out more about Shkrub ›
Photo is by David Mitchell
Chelsea Pied-à-Terre, USA, by Stadt Architecture
Decadence takes centre stage at this renovated New York apartment in the form of a green bedroom mural that is “dripping” with globules of gold paint.
Covering an entire wall and moving up into the ceiling, the design was created by Brooklyn-based Calico Wallpaper and references the lush nature of Vancouver’s Stanley Park – a location that is meaningful to the dwelling’s Canadian occupants.
Find out more about Chelsea Pied-à-Terre ›
Photo is by Alexandria Hall
582 Rydon Street, London, by Moxon Architects
British studio Moxon Architects renovated a Victorian townhouse in north London’s Islington area by adding a sunken garden and minimalist interiors.
Throughout the home, subtle reminders of its early 19th-century history were inserted into the design. These include a floral gridded feature wall in the primary bedroom.
Find out more about 582 Rydon Street ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring offbeat bakeries, inviting entrance halls and homes with split-level living areas.
Spotted: The International Energy Agency (IEA) calls heat pumps “the central technology in the global transition to secure and sustainable heating.” Although they tend to come with higher upfront costs than other heating options, their low rate of emissions and general high rates of efficiency are driving sales to record highs. Solar, wind, and hydropower are well-known renewables used to power many devices, and now French technology company Equium is introducing a new source. Thermoacoustic power transforms the energy of sound waves into heat or cold.
The company’s Acoustic Heat Pump compresses or expands high power sound waves in order to produce the desired temperature. The action requires very little power, and as the sound waves expand and contract, the movement produced is similar to that of a piston in a traditional engine, yet without the mechanical moving parts. It is possible to use the thermoacoustic pumps in most temperatures and climates, without the need for greenhouse gases.
The devices themselves are made from 100 per cent recyclable materials and are designed for extremely low maintenance, with expected product life spans of up to 30 years. They are also easy for owners to install without requiring advanced technical skills. The elimination of greenhouse gas refrigerants combined with minimal maintenance needs contribute to the new pumps’ efficiency, which further reduces long-term investment costs.
Making sources of renewable heat and electricity more affordable is a foundational element of many of the energy innovations Springwise is spotting, such as geothermal systems for individual homes, and tailored electrification plans.
As our Timber Revolution series comes to an end, we round up the 10 significant buildings that have pushed the use of mass-timber.
Starting with a small housing scheme built in rural Austria in the late 1990s and ending with an 87-metre tower completed in the USA last year, the buildings profiled in the series chart the rise of engineered wood over the past 25 years.
Here are 10 mass-timber buildings that helped to change the way we think about wood:
Photo by Ignacio Martinez
Ölzbündt, Austria, by HK Architekten (1997)
Our first case study profiled this early example of mass-timber multi-storey housing outside Dornbirn by Herman Kauffman’s studio, HK Architekten.
The three-floor block, which holds 13 homes and references traditional local houses in its design, was a prototype for a construction system that would enable multi-storey residential buildings to be made out of wood.
Find out more about Ölzbündt ›
Photo by Paul Ott (also top)
BTZ at TU Graz, Austria, by Nussmüller Architekten (2001)
Much of the early research into mass timber took place in Austria, and the Bau Technik Zentrum (BTZ) at Graz University of Technology was the very epicentre of that work.
Designed by Nussmüller Architekten, the BTZ was an important mass-timber testing centre but also a significant piece of wooden architecture in itself, as one of the first examples of panel-system mass-timber construction and the first timber building with a curved roof.
Find out more about BTZ at TU Graz ›
Photo by Will Pryce
Murray Grove, UK, by Waugh Thistleton Architects (2009)
Murray Grove, also known as Stadthaus, attracted international attention upon its completion for demonstrating that timber could be used for tall buildings.
The nine-storey residential tower in east London, designed by local studio Waugh Thistleton, has a superstructure made almost entirely from pre-fabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT).
Find out more about Murray Grove ›
Photo courtesy of Lendlease
Forté, Australia, by Lendlease (2012)
More than 750 CLT panels were shipped all the way from Austria to Australia to construct the first mass-timber high rise down under, designed and built by developer Lendlease.
Even despite the extensive freightage, university researchers said that the 10-storey building’s environmental impact was still smaller than if it had been constructed using concrete.
Find out more about Forté ›
Photo by Didier Boy de la Tour
Tamedia Office Building, Switzerland, by Shigeru Ban (2013)
Japanese architect Shigeru Ban worked with Swiss engineer Hermann Blumer to devise a novel structural system for this extension to an office building in Zurich.
The pre-fabricated glued-laminated timber skeleton is held together entirely without screws or nails, instead consisting of large columns and cross-beams intersected by ovular spacer beams that lock the whole structure together.
Find out more about the Tamedia Office Building ›
Photo by Ema Peter Photography
T3, USA, by Michael Green Architecture (2016)
T3 in Minneapolis, designed by Canadian office Michael Green Architecture, became the first tall wooden structure in the USA upon its completion.
Constructed using wood from trees killed by mountain pine beetles, it was intended to demonstrate to the US real-estate industry that large mass-timber projects were viable – and it worked, with 1,677 mass-timber buildings now either finished or in progress across the country.
Find out more about T3 ›
Photo courtesy of Waugh Thistleton Architects
Dalston Works, UK, by Waugh Thistleton Architects (2017)
Using 3,852 cubic metres of CLT, the Dalston Works apartment complex in east London used more mass timber by volume than any other building.
Also designed by Waugh Thistleton, its external, party and core walls, as well as flooring and stairs, were made entirely from pieces of CLT – but at the request of the developer it was clad in traditional bricks to reference nearby Edwardian and Victorian buildings.
Find out more about Dalston Works ›
Photo by Ricardo Foto
Mjøstårnet, Norway, by Voll Arkitekter (2019)
Mjøstårnet is an 85.4-metre-high tower on the edge of Norway’s biggest lake constructed using wood from local spruce and pine forests.
Architecture studio Voll Arkitekter designed the project, which was the world’s tallest timber building when completed, to show that building large, complex structures out of wood is possible.
Find out more about Mjøstårnet ›
Photo by Patrick Degerman
Sara Kulturhus Centre, Sweden, by White Arkitekter (2021)
White Arkitekter’s Sara Kulturhus Centre is a 20-storey mass-timber building just below the Arctic Circle in the Swedish city of Skellefteå.
The vast quantities of wood used in its structure are estimated to store 9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide – double the amount thought to have been emitted during construction, meaning the studio claims the building will be carbon negative over its lifetime.
Find out more about the Sara Kulturhus Centre ›
Photo courtesy of Korb + Associates Architects
Ascent, USA, by Korb + Associates Architects (2022)
The final case study featured in the Timber Revolution series is Ascent in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently the world’s tallest mass-timber building at 86.6 metres – though likely not for much longer.
Rather than its height, Korb + Associates Architects believes the residential project’s true significance is the collaborative model devised for working with city officials to achieve regulatory sign-off.
This article is part of Dezeen’s Timber Revolution series, which explores the potential of mass timber and asks whether going back to wood as our primary construction material can lead the world to a more sustainable future.
Locally produced bricks and recycled materials feature in this vaulted residence in Kerala, India, named The Wendy House.
Designed by Bangalore practice Earthscape Studio, the home is located within eight acres of dense forest and was designed to stand among the trees without disrupting the existing nature.
The Wendy House was designed by Earthscape Studio
“Our main aim was to not harm nature by cutting down the trees and other existing natural features on the site,” lead architect Petchimuthu Kennedy told Dezeen.
“When we visited the site, there were lots of trees such as mango, coconut, nutmeg, and teak. Since we didn’t want to disturb them, we made a grid on site and determined the shape of the house according to the placement of existing trees.”
It was constructed using recycled materials
Aiming to draw from the surrounding nature, Earthscape Studio used locally sourced materials throughout the building, including recycled rods, broken tiles and earth from the site.
The studio also used traditional sithu kal bricks – small bricks constructed of three layers – sourced from within 50 kilometres of the site and joined by local workers to create the building’s vaulted form.
It has a sweeping roof
“The bricks that we used are small sithu kal bricks, which were previously used along the south side of Tamil Nadu for the famous technique called Madras terrace roof,” said Kennedy, referring to an Indian roofing system that involves creating a series of sloping roofs to encourage rainwater drainage.
“Nowadays, the technique is no longer used and the community members who produce these bricks have become unemployed,” he continued. “We wanted to bring them back by engaging the local community with work.”
The Wendy House is split across two separate vaulted volumes each comprising three layers of bricks along with a fourth recycled waterproofing layer made from broken tiles from factories.
“We wanted no steel or concrete to be on our building structure and we don’t want to cut down any trees,” said Kennedy. “This timbrel vault technique is a catenary-based vault that requires no steel or concrete.”
“The catenary form is self-stabilising since the forces of the vault are transferred directly to the footing.”
There is a courtyard at the centre
The vaulted forms were topped with a sweeping roof made from locally sourced, recycled mudga tiles.
Inside, the home has an open plan with a bedroom, bathroom and storage space in one wing, along with a living room, dining space, and pantry in the other.
The home has an open-plan design
A courtyard with a small pond in its centre runs between the two blocks, punctuated on either end by curved rammed earth walls.
Framed with recycled rods, glass walls on the inner facing walls of the vaulted buildings offer views from the interior into the central courtyard.
It has built-in furniture
The recycled rods were also used alongside waste wood to create the frames for built-in furniture, including a bed, sofa, and kitchen counter.
Other Indian homes recently featured on Dezeen include a cylindrical house designed to collect rainwater and a home with large terraces sheltered by a jagged metal canopy.
Architecture studio Office Alex Nicholls has fused two penthouse apartments in Melbourne into one large flexible home, converting their basement parking spots into a private spa and pool.
Adaptability was key to the home in Melbourne’s Elsternwick suburb, which needed to provide enough space for a multi-generational family as well as accommodating visiting relatives in guest rooms that double up as studies.
Office Alex Nicholls fused two apartments to create Elsternwick Penthouse
“Spaces were designed to adapt to a multitude of uses, with flexible working and living spaces as well as areas that could expand for large groups or contract to provide intimate settings,” the studio’s founder Alex Nicholls told Dezeen.
Office Alex Nicholls was brought on board while the apartment block was still under construction and was able to make significant changes to suit his clients’ needs – improving the layout, adding skylights and up-speccing on key details like the windows.
Timber staircases lead to the roof garden
“The design intent was to create variety and different spatial experiences across a very expansive and potentially monotonous floorplan,” Nicholls said.
“I wanted to create a light yet grounded and natural-feeling space that was contrasted with some stronger formal elements such as sculptural skylights and coloured functional volumes.”
A “library spine” runs through the apartment to provide storage
To navigate this vast apartment, Nicholls devised a central “library spine” – a corridor running the entire length of the apartment that houses the family’s collection of books, art and artefacts while creating an opportunity out of what could have been a dark and monotonous space.
“The idea for the library spine was born from a storage requirement of the clients,” the architect said. “However, it became a key architectural intervention.”
“From a practical standpoint, it allowed everything to be easily accessible and displayed but it also helps to draw people through the apartment and celebrate the two staircases to the roof garden at either end.”
Oculus skylights funnel sunlight into the interior
To provide vital light to the heart of the apartment and enhance the two main living spaces, Nicholls designed a series of circular and semi-circular oculus skylights, which reference the clients’ love of Elsternwick’s art deco architecture.
“They create a sense of movement and symmetry in the composition of otherwise rectilinear volumes,” he explained.
The apartment has three kitchens, partly to meet the family’s religious requirements and partly to allow the different generations who are sharing the apartment to enjoy their own independence.
Described by Nicholls as a series of “magic boxes”, each monolithic kitchen is defined by one vivid colour. This helps to delineate spaces and provides a counterpoint to the otherwise warm and natural material palette, which includes Blackbutt timber and Gosford sandstone.
The apartment has three colourful kitchen units
“The kitchens were designed to be largely concealed within these coloured volumes to give each one more spatial presence while ensuring the apartment did not feel too kitchen- and appliance-heavy as a result of the clients’ complex requirements,” Nicholls said.
In the basement, Nicholls turned the penthouses’ lift-accessed parking spots into a private 100-square-metre wellness space that features a fitness pool, sauna, kitchenette, changing rooms and a flexible rehabilitation area.
Nicholls also converted the apartments’ parking spots into a private spa
To make up for the lack of natural light in this subterranean space, Nicholls deployed atmospheric indirect lighting and a warm colour palette.
“Lighting the space via a datum of timber niches helped give the spa a restorative atmosphere, enhanced by the use of natural materials such as sandstone, timber, terracotta and lime render,” he explained.
The spa is home to a timber sauna
Elsternwick is a thriving suburb in the southeast of Melbourne, brimming with buzzy shops, restaurants and bars.
Among them is the Hunter & Co Deli, whose interiors were informed by the cold cuts on offer, and the minimal Penta cafe with its monolithic concrete counter.
